Christmas
Traditions

Discover Origins of Popular Christmas
Traditions

In the United States, modern Christmas is a season for giving, sharing, and
caring. Many traditions, like Christmas trees and candy canes, are of European origin, but an American imagination
brought forth our Santa Claus in all his plump, red-suited glory.

Popular Christian
Holiday

Dating back to 336 A.D., Christmas was first celebrated in ancient Rome, around
300 years after Christ's birth. It was a popular Christian holiday until the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s.
Because pagan customs had been enfolded into the religious observance, many Protestants chose not to celebrate it
at all, including the American Puritans. In the rest of colonial America, Christmas was a raucous public holiday.
Hunting, dancing, and feasting were the custom in the country, while city streets filled with enthusiastic
celebrants.

One of the most common of Christmas
traditions is that of Santa Claus, based on a real 4th century saint, Saint Nicholas. Santa's
Christmas gift giving brings a lot of joy to
children.

By the 1800s, the holiday-focused merrymaking became such a public spectacle that
concerned citizens, including Clement C. Moore, author of the famous poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (popularly
known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas"), wanted to promote Christmas as a family holiday. His poem, written in
1822, and the pictures illustrator Thomas Nast drew from 1863 to 1886, depict the Santa we have come to know and
love today, a cherubic and jolly fellow.

While merchants count the shopping days until Christmas, it is also a time to
share with those less fortunate. Collecting and donating warm clothing, toys, and food is as American as
bell-ringing "Sidewalk Santas." No matter how you choose to observe it, celebrating Christmas has become a beloved
American tradition. It is the season to rejoice with friends, family, and community and dream of "peace on earth"
and goodwill for all.

Placing presents for your family under Christmas tree has become one of many
modern Christmas
traditions.

Favorite Christmas
Traditions

Don't be a Grinch: Read this list (and check it twice!) of the most popular
Christmas traditions and their origins.

1. Christmas
Greenery

Ancient Egyptians used palm branches, while northern cultures preferred
evergreens, to brighten the home during the winter. Continuing a custom that dates back to the 16th century, German
immigrants were the first Americans to purchase and decorate Christmas trees, typically in the pine
family.

2. Old Saint Nick

Today's "jolly old elf," Santa Claus, is based on a real saint who lived in
Turkey in the 4th century. Saint Nicholas was renowned for his generosity and love of children. According to
historical sources, he would drop coins down the chimney to preserve his anonymity and the dignity of his
recipients. Therein lies the origin of Santa Claus coming down the chimney to leave Christmas presents.

3. Gift Giving

Once frowned upon as a pagan custom dating back to the Romans, gift giving is
an integral part of our Christmas tradition. Santa's alias, "Kriss Kringle," means Christ child in German, and
referred to a medieval legend that the infant Jesus distributed presents. Hence the custom of gift giving at
Christmas.

4. Kissing under the Mistletoe

Remember the following Norse fable the next time you sneak a smooch under the
mistletoe: Frigga, goddess of love and beauty, wanted to make the world safe for her son, Balder. Everything on
earth promised to do him no harm except the one plant Frigga overlooked, mistletoe. Loki, an evil spirit, made an
arrow from the mistletoe's wood and killed Balder. Frigga's tears became the plant's white berries and revived her
son. In her gratitude, Frigga promised to kiss anyone who passed under the mistletoe, just as we do
today.

5. Christmas Candy Canes

The striped confections we now love to crunch were once straight white sticks
of sugar candy. In the 1600s, in Cologne, Germany, traditional folktales reveal that the candies were bent at the
end to remind children of a shepherd's crook and to keep them quiet in church.